Giant "bendy bus" hits the road in Clemson

Contributed photo
A new 62-foot long Clemson Area Transit bus, known as "bendy bus" because of its center articulation, is expected to begin service to Clemson University.

CLEMSON - An unusual looking bus will be seen on the streets of Clemson within the next three weeks.

The 62-foot long Clemson Area Transit bus, which will begin service to Clemson University, is capable of transporting 125 passengers at a time. Dubbed the "bendy bus" because of its center articulation that allows the bus to bend around corners and fit into tight spaces, the bus attracts a lot of attention, said Al Babinicz, CAT executive director.

The bendy cost $633,880 and will be paid for with a federal transportation grant and local matching money, CAT officials said. The new bus, the first of its kind in South Carolina, is part of a replacement plan for older buses in the CAT fleet.

The average CAT bus costs about $450,000, Babinicz said.

The new bus is powered by clean-burning diesel and has 30 different computer systems on board. "It is extremely hi-tech," Babinicz said. "If the driver puts the front wheels three inches from the curb, then the computer tells the rear wheels to track exactly three inches from the curb."

The bendy will be used primarily on the Red Route to transport Clemson University students to and from campus. Babinicz said the bus is worth the added cost because it is economical and efficient.

"Our 40-foot bus holds 63 passengers," he said. "The bendy holds 125. We double the capacity and only use one motor, one driver and one fuel load to accomplish twice as much transportation." Manufactured by the NOVA bus company of Canada and New York, the bendy eventually could help solve transportation problems in Anderson County, Babinicz said.

CAT is conducting a survey of bus ridership on the 4U route between Anderson and Clemson. Buses now make 12 trips a day along that route, but sometimes passengers must wait for the next bus due to overcrowding.

"We feel there is a bendy bus in Anderson's future, but that is a decision to be made by the Anderson County Council," Babinicz said.

A total of eight buses are scheduled for replacement in the CAT fleet in the near future, and a number of those buses will be bendys, CAT officials said. CAT serves Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties along with Clemson University, Anderson University, Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton and Southern Wesleyan University in Central.